I’m a Skincare Junkie
I am a skincare junkie, a fact I readily admit to. I moisturize every morning and night without fail and the thought that you might not, leaves my jaw wide open with the words “OH, NO!”, rapidly coming forth. As a result of my somewhat complex skincare regime, which goes way beyond lotions and creams, I have highly developed opinions of what works and what does not.
For instance, I recently tried the 10 Step Korean Skincare Regimen and gave it a thumbs up because with all those steps, something positive was bound to happen (and did). Yet, every new skincare product I try is missing one of the biggest tools in my anti aging skincare arsenal: cannabis.
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Cannabis for the Face
I’ve been using cannabis on my face and neck for years now, either in the form of a topical cream or facial oil. My HelloMD Co Founder says I would bathe in it if I could, and he is absolutely correct. I first noticed the wonders of cannabis for skin when I mistakenly used it after receiving a bad tropical sunburn. Pink as a lobster and without any sun remedy, I slathered hemp oil on my face and retreated to bed. The next morning, my face looked perfectly normal, not a trace of burn to be seen. After looking online, I found that cannabis topicals are an anti inflammatory and often used as a remedy for sunburns. Problem solved.
From that point forward I used my hemp based facial oil every night to take makeup off and as a base for my Nerium facial lotion, which is also a wonderful skincare product. Cannabis topicals are a great anti aging treatment for the skin and full of anti oxidants which help fight wrinkles, boost the skin’s appearance with a healthy glow and reduce inflammation or red/blotchy patches.
RELATED: CANNABIS FOR SUMMER SKINCARE
Aunt Zelda’s Coconut Topical
A few weeks ago I attended IntersectionSF, an amazing cannabis networking event in San Francisco, where I gave a talk on cannabis. After the event I was given a goodie bag and inside I found a small jar of cannabis topical by Aunt Zelda’s.
Aunt Zelda’s ‘Medical Cannabis-Infused Organic Coconut Topical’ jar states that it has 10 essential oils and is effective for pain, rashes, dryness, minor cuts/wounds and muscle and nerve pain. I opened the jar and it smelled so good, I immediately slathered it all over my morning face. I continued with this morning and night for over a week in addition to my other skincare rituals. What I noticed after the first week is that my skin without makeup appeared plumper and had a natural, healthy glow.
Mara Gordon, the Founder of Aunt Zelda’s, is a well known figure in the cannabis community. She speaks all over the world and has done enormous amounts of work to speed the progress of cannabis research for cannabis patients everywhere. When asked about her topical, Mara commented,
“To give you some background, I was initially looking for an alternative to tiger balm that didn’t smell like camphor or menthol. After looking at the terpenes that I find so medicinal within many cannabis cultivars, I matched them to essential oils from other plants – for example, lemongrass for limonene, lavender for linalool, cinnamon for borneol – and added them to a coconut oil base. Of course, I added a few oils that do not appear within cannabis, such as frankincense and myrrh to create a formula that is pleasant smelling and effective.
The beauty of the Aunt Zelda’s Medical Cannabis Coconut Topical (yes, we do need a better name) is that each of the essential oils has medicinal properties by itself. Together the synergy proves out the notion that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts!”
Bonus points that it smells good as well as making your face look good!
Science + Cannabis Skincare
There is science that backs up the benefits of using cannabis as part of your skincare regime. The skin is our largest organ and it is full of cannabinoid receptors. These receptors bind to the phytocannabinoids from the cannabis plant such as THC, CBD, THCA and so on. We actually create our own endocannbinoids and the cannabis plant helps to supplement these. So, when you put a cannabis topical on your skin you are activating the receptors inside your body.
There are many skincare topical on the market today. According to Ni’Kita Wilson, cosmetic chemist and founder of Skinects, cannabis can “have an indirect benefit on ‘inflam-aging,’ or aging caused by chronic skin inflammation.”
In addition Ni’Kita says “Hemp-seed oil, moisturizing and can improve the skin’s barrier, reduce dryness and skin sensitivity, and help skin to appear plumper and smoother.” Ed Breslin, the Co Founder of Xternal, a popular cannabis muscle cream, mentioned to me when we were talking that many people were reporting positive results when applying his light cream to their faces.
Ah Warner, Founder of Cannabis Basics says that cannabinoids are “anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, analgesic, cell-regenerative, and anti–cell proliferative for bad cells.”
Personally, I have already bought into the concept, as you might have guessed. Put marijuana where it belongs, on your face!
If you are new to cannabis and want to learn more, take a look at our Cannabis 101 post. HelloMD can help you get your medical marijuana recommendation; it’s 100% online, private and efficient.
